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Johnson Controls Inc., the largest U.S. auto parts maker, might consider breaking up its electronics unit and selling the pieces if it doesn't get a strong enough bid for the business, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The company, which said in March it hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to help it explore a sale of the division, might sell only parts of the business if it doesn't get the right price for the entire unit, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is private. At least one of the initial bidders, Delphi Automotive Plc, doesn't want all of it and is waiting to see if the business is sold in pieces, the people said.

Johnson Controls' Automotive Experience business unit, which includes electronics, interiors and seating, is in Plymouth. Its world headquarters is in Milwaukee, as well as its battery and commercial HVAC units.

China's SAIC Motor Corp. is still considering a bid for at least part of the automotive-electronics unit, valued at $1.2 billion, the sources said. A breakup might take more time but could make it easier to find buyers, one person said. Johnson Controls would still prefer to sell the unit to one buyer, the people said.

Delphi, based in Troy, might be interested in the business, excluding the Homelink product line, which enables drivers to open automated garage doors with a control built into a car's visor, said the people. Delphi made a first-round bid for the entire unit, people familiar with the situation said in April. SAIC, based in Shanghai, might be interested in the whole unit, said one of the people. It isn't clear if SAIC plans to make a firm offer for the business, the person said.

Buyout interest

JPMorgan is also talking to private-equity firms in search of more bids, said one of the people familiar with the situation. Previously, buyout firms were excluded from the process, people with knowledge of the matter said in April.

Fraser Engerman, a spokesman for Johnson Controls, said in an e-mail that the company has received "strong interest from multiple strategic buyers," and that the sale process is proceeding. Claudia Piccinin, a spokeswoman for Delphi, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for SAIC in Shanghai didn't immediately respond to a message left outside normal business hours.

Johnson Controls earned more than half of its $42 billion in revenue in the year ended in September from its auto parts unit. The company also makes auto batteries and equipment for managing building climates and security.

The electronics unit accounted for about $1.4 billion of Johnson Controls' revenue last year, according to a company presentation to analysts in December, about 3 percent of the total, selling infotainment systems, instrument clusters and electronics that control door locks and monitor tire pressure.

The stock climbed less than 1 percent to $37.63 Monday in New York, giving it a market capitalization of almost $26 billion.

Reuters reported previously that Johnson Controls is in talks with private-equity firms about their interest in the unit.